Resume Building Tips

Unemployment figures recently ticked up to over 9% again, but that’s mostly just people on some sort of unemployment assistance program. Actual figures are probably over 15%. A lot of people are looking for work right now. If that’s you, then you’ve got a lot of competition. A good, polished resume can stand out a little more among the other hundreds or thousands of resumes that businesses may be looking at. Here are some suggestions on how to build that good, polished resume.

Try to keep it to one page or two at the most. Your resume is a brief description of your qualifications and anything else relevant to the job for which you are applying. Keep whatever you would pad or stretch a resume with to the cover letter (and even then, limit yourself to one page).

Limit the resume to job-relevant material. Include education, employment history, skills, references, etc. Briefly explain your job responsibilities in your employment history. If desired, write an objective that states what you hope to accomplish with this resume.

Don’t lie. Don’t claim to have an education / employment history or accomplishments that you don’t have. Just be honest.

At the top (or side, depending on how you’re formatting it), provide whatever contact information the company will need to get a hold of you. Include full legal name, address, phone number(s?), and an email address.

Finally, make it neat. Organize everything into separate, clear headings. This will make the resume more attractive and easy to read – more so than if it was simply a big block of text. Put some effort into your resume. Hopefully, it’ll pay off.

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Interview Etiquette – Making a Good First Impression

Image courtesy of flickr.com.

A job interview is a company’s first real opportunity to meet you, judge you, and see if you are right for the job they are offering. They know the “you” that you portrayed on your resume and cover letter, but an interview can tell them even more. Use the interview to impress them. Here are some tips to do just that.

  • Dress professionally. If you don’t think you have anything appropriate, see what a place like Goodwill or Dress for Success has to offer.
  • Be punctual. Arrive around ten minutes early. Maybe make a trip to the location the day before so you know where exactly it is. Call if you think you’ll be late.
  • Use proper and professional language. Avoid slang and a lot of “uh’s” and “um’s” and the like. Speak clearly, confidently, and respectfully.
  • Don’t disparage or complain about former employers.
  • Use a firm handshake.
  • Make eye contact. Don’t talk to just the walls or floor.
  • Don’t lie. Don’t falsely build up your education, accomplishments, or qualifications. Don’t lie about a prison record.
  • Be prepared. Do a little research about the types of questions you may encounter.
  • Ask questions. But avoid questions about money, benefits, or vacations unless the interviewer brings it up.
  • Follow up. Show you’re interested.
  • Bring several copies of your resume. You may have several interviewers or maybe opportunities to give them to others.
  • Don’t display nervousness – things like biting your nails, constantly checking your watch, fidgeting, playing with your hands or cracking your knuckles.

Keep these tips in mind. While they may not guarantee your being hired, they can help. They certainly won’t hurt.

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Tips for writing your resume

Leonard George Chapman Resume Page 1

Image via Wikipedia

 

Conducting your resume for the first time can be overwhelming and you might not know exactly where to begin or what to write. Knowing what to include, what not to include, what to elaborate on, what not to elaborate on can be quite the challenge for most people.  It is said that the personnel who will be looking for the perfect fit for their company will only spend approximately 30 seconds reviewing your resume, so therefore it makes it imperative that you include all the necessary facts they want to know. The following will help you in writing your resume to attract a potential employer.

The first step is understanding is the reasoning of the resume.  For those who don’t know your resume is a breakdown of your experiences you have had, and it is the first thing your potential employer will see.  This is basically your way of selling yourself to your potential employer.

The second step in writing your resume is to make sure it’s easy to understand.  Always prepare your resume on white paper.  It is recommended to use a font with a size of 10 – 12.  Use bold and italics to make prime information stand out, but use it casually.

It is recommended that you use good quality paper to print out your resume.

Do not make your resume extended. List your achievements, involvement with any community activities.  Provide any education you may have had.  Last but not least be sure to include any licenses you may have.

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The One Question to be Careful Asking During a Job Interview

There are many questions that you can ask when interviewing for a job like ‘What is the job description?’ and ‘What does your company do?’ However there is one question that should be treated very delicately. That question is ‘How much does the job pay?’ It may sound like a simple enough question but if asked at the wrong time, can hurt your chances at landing the job.

Some companies will outright state what the salary for the position is and in that case you do not have to worry. However, when a position says DOE or depends on experience, you should trend lightly on the subject. If you walk into an interview and immediately ask what it pays, some employers will assume that all you care about is money. Everyone knows that a big part of having a job is to make money, but employers also want you to like your job and want to excel at it.

Waiting until an interviewer brings up what the position pays is usually your best bet. They know that salary is a factor and will get to it when they feel it is appropriate. If the interview is coming to an end and salary has not been discussed, then would usually be an acceptable time to bring up the subject. More often than not, salary is the last thing that is negotiated.

So, remember to be careful when it comes to discussing salary before you know that you have the job. It is a subject that will eventually be discussed and it is usually best to let the employer bring it up first. Asking questions about it too early could reflect badly on you.

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An Awards and Achievements Section Looks Great on a Resume

Your resume is a chance for you to showcase yourself to potential employers. While the normal sections like skills, education and experience are very important, there is another section you can add to give yourself an added advantage. If you have won any awards or have any significant achievements, you should include that information on a resume.

Employers will sort through many different applications, most of which will be people with similar qualifications. The problem they will run into is not knowing at what level the workers have performed. An awards/achievements section will help out. If you had taken the lead on a project and were recognized for your efforts or received an award for exceptional work, including this information on your resume can give you an advantage.

You do not want to overshadow other areas of your resume with this section, so only include awards or achievements that really show your accomplishments. A short description of each will suffice and you can explain them in detail during an interview. You will want to include things like being promoted quickly or having a position created for you due to your skills. Anything that shows you are a hard-worker, leader or problem-solver would be a good item to include here.

Including a section in your resume with your achievements or awards is a great way to separate yourself from other people applying for the same job as you. Keep this section short and to the point with just enough information to ‘wow’ an employer and make them want to know more. Put yourself in a class by yourself and the job offers will start rolling in.

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Tips for Preparing for a Job Interview

There is nothing more exciting and nerve-racking than being called in for a job interview. You are half way to getting the job and all you can think about is what not to do to screw it up. Here are some tips for preparing for an interview.

Make sure to bring a current copy of your resume, cover letter and references with you. It is always nice to be prepared in case the interviewer needs an extra copy. It is also a good idea to bring a folder with paper and a pen, in case you need to take down any notes or information during the interview. The employer will also like to see that you are prepared for anything.

An absolute must when going to an interview is to arrive early. This is not an option. There is nothing more embarrassing and detrimental to your cause than showing up late. Avoid this at all costs by getting to the interview site 15 to 30 minutes early.  You can always wait outside if you do not want to go into the building right away, but you do not want to run in five minutes late and hinder your chances.

The last key to preparing for an interview is to make sure to dress for success. It is almost always okay to over-dress, but you never want to under-dress. A suit and tie for guys and a business formal dress or pantsuit is almost always recommended, even if the employer says that you can wear anything.

If you follow these simple guidelines your interview will be a smooth sailing. Look neat and organized and be on time, and the job is as good as yours.

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How to Best Represent Your Work Experience on a Resume

Your resume is a representation of the body of work you have completed in your professional career. It can be expected that not every job you have been hired to do will be beneficial towards future jobs, so you need to make sure your resume gives you the best advantage that it can.

You should never provide false information on a resume, but you do not need to include every single detail. Employers will often question things like gaps in employment or having many jobs over a short period of time. If this describes a portion of your work history, there could be a very valid reason for it, such as moving or attending school. However, this may be difficult to explain on a resume.

One tip for gaps in employment is to just put how long you worked at each job, like 1 year or 3 years. This will still accurately show how much work experience you have but not show that you took a year off to finish school. If you changed jobs frequently, you can put the experience that you received in your skills section and leave that information off of your list of jobs. This will give you the opportunity to have all yourinformation on the resume and if an employer has questions about it, you can explain your situation during the interview.

The idea of your resume is just to give employers a summary of what you will be bringing to the table. If they like what they see, they will be sure to ask for more details later. Your resume is just a way to get your foot in the door. Make sure that keep all the facts on the page, but arrange them in a way that is most flattering to your skills.

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Tips to Avoid Grammar Mistakes on Resumes

Resumes & Cover Letters

Image by Lucius Beebe Memorial Library via Flickr

So, you have finished your resume and cover letter, read them over twice and just hit send to email them to an employer. But wait, is that a misspelling and grammatical error you see? It is too late now and you can probably be certain that you will not be getting this job. Misspellings and grammar errors are some of the most frequent mistakes that employers see when reviewing job applications.  Often times they will not look any farther than the simple mistake and move on to the next resume in their stack of hundreds.

It may seem ridiculous that one little instance of transposing two letters or leaving off a helping verb could make you unqualified for a job, but it happens everyday. Not seeing these errors seems to happen to everyone now and again, no matter how many times you spell check your work and read it over. What is a job hunter to do?

One solution is very simple. Give your resume or cover letter to someone you trust to read over. Since you were the person who wrote it, you know exactly what you were trying to say and can sometimes glance over something and not notice that it is a mistake. This is especially true when you read something over for the fifth or sixth time. A second set of eyes will do wonders. Another solution is to read it out loud. When you speak the words you wrote, you will often catch when you leave words out.

So, make sure to use these easy proofreading tips before submitting your resume. Taking an extra few minutes to have a friend quickly look it over or just read it aloud to ensure it is mistake-free. These simple checks can help you avoid an embarrassing error that could cost you a job that you really desired.

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The Strength of Knowing your Weaknesses

One of the most surprising and confusing questions that someone will encounter during a job interview is “What are your weaknesses?” Many people get nervous and say that they can’t think of any or that they do not have any. These are the worst possible answers you can give. Everyone has something that they can improve on and the interviewer may think that you are hiding something if you do not have an answer.

The best way to approach this question is to prepare an answer before you go to the interview. Think about skills where you might be lacking and focus on those. However, don’t use skills that are essential for the job as your weaknesses.  For instance, if you are interviewing to be a writer, do not say that you are bad at grammar. This will surely make you unqualified for the position.

What you want to say is something that you consider a weakness but also say how you can go about improving on it or how you have been trying to improve it. You want the interviewer to know that you are aware of your shortcomings and are trying to get better at them. You also want to avoid saying things like you are a work-a-holic or you are too detail-oriented. These responses come off as being a little pretentious, and they usually put off an interviewer. For a accounting position, you may want to say that you were not very familiar with payroll accounting, so you took a training course on it. Interviewers like to know that you are aware of your weaknesses and want to turn them into strengths.

The limitations of this questions are probably very obvious to both you and the interviewer. The question is a chance for you to show a possible employer that you understand that you are not perfect and want to improve yourself. The question can be tricky but preparing beforehand will be very helpful. As long as you are candid and honest, you will present yourself as a worthy candidate.

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Put your Best Format Forward

Deciding how to format your resume is a very important part of applying for a job. The most important sections to include in your resume are Objective, Experience, Education and Skills. You want to make sure to place the most prevalent information near the top and make other keywords and phrases stand out, so employers notice them immediately. It is well known that most employers look over hundreds of resumes when trying to fill a position and only have 10 to 20 seconds, at most, to review each one.

The first thing that you want to do is place your Objective at the top of the page. This should be a short sentence stating the exact position that you are applying for. There is no need to get creative here. Then look over the job description and decide if your Experience, Education or Skills make you the best fit for the job. This section should then be put after the Objective.

If you are right out of college or have received special training, Education is probably going to be the most important information. Having worked at a similar job for an extended period of time would make Experience your prime quality. Your Skills section usually will not be placed first unless you feel that your list of skills gives a more concise and accurate summary of all the things you are capable of. The job description will point you in the right direction.  See where you match up to what they want the most and place that section first and the others in descending order of importance.

It is also a good rule of thumb to keep your resume to one page, simple and to the point. The most important information should be on there and the employer can ask you for more details if they like what they see. That is why they have you come in for an interview. So, keep formatting in mind when you send your resume and adjust it each time you apply for a job. A few simple tweaks can make all the difference.

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